The architectural roots of certain urban blocks in our city run especially deep. Certain blocks have managed to successfully serve the residents of the city for centuries. Why do culturally signifi cant stratifi ed wholes emerge specifi cally from these spaces? Furthermore, taking into account the special features of their locations, how can the multilayered amalgams which these urban blocks comprise, active and alive in our modern culture, continue to be designed?

The block in which the Turku Library sits is an excellent example of how the layers of history and the present day are intertwined in the urban landscape. The history of this plot of land goes back to mediaeval times and the housing stock reaches back to the late 18th century. The new library building completed in 2007 displays its own interpretation of the modern-day open society and the new role of the library in the city.

Urban renovation is continuously in progress. The city is, then, by nature always unfi nished. Renovation is generally seen as an activity which aims at a fi nished product, not as an incomplete, active process. The tooth of time, however, gnaws on materials and the needs of the society change within the city. Renovation design must constantly seek out new action models and show itself to be in step with changes happening in our culture.

In my thesis I consider opportunities for renovation design. I see the compilation, classifi cation and reinterpretation of fragmentary information as the key to obtaining an overall understanding of the matter at hand. The central chapters of the thesis make use of the foundational tenets of building culture (Tallqvist, 2000). The subjects taken up in the main chapters include how the building history of the plot of land is remembered, how aesthetics are taken into account in urban design, concerns regarding practical realisation and the need for poetry.

The paper is based on a renovation project in which I was involved, which began in 2008 on Läntinen Rantakatu 3 in the Turku Library urban block and was directed by architect Benito Casagrande of Arkkitehtitoimisto C & Co Oy.

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